Using Less, Recycling More

We aim to cut out unnecessary use of resources in our business and ensure that the ‘stuff’ we do use leaves as light a footprint as possible; from production to packaging to our electricity supply.

But some things are hard to avoid.

The picture below represents about a month's worth - around 21kg - of clean, clear film ready for recycling. It’s mostly pallet wrap, a kind of cling film that’s used to protect and secure goods in transit, that we’ve stripped off pallets when they arrive. Every pallet we receive is wrapped in the stuff, as are all the pallets we send out. In the UK about 140,000 tonnes of this stuff are used every year.

Along with the clear film we’ve generated a similar amount of coloured film and about 160kg of card. Since moving to our new Bean Store we’ve had enough space to rent a small baler for recyclable materials, it’s allowing us to better segregate materials and to track quantities against sales.

Though we can change the way we wrap pallets (WRAP have produced some great resources to help with this) it’s harder for us to influence those that supply us. 

If anyone has experience of using alternative pallet stabilisation materials and approaches we’d love to hear!

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